Generally, we consider ants to be pests when found inside a house. However, ants are a beneficial insect when found in their natural environment. Ants dispose of dead and decaying plant and animal organic matter. Ant nests aerate the soil.
As is well known, ants will eat just about anything, which is one reason they're such pests inside a residence. Ants, in great numbers, will carry back meat, sweets, plant and/or animal materials to their nests. Foods containing greasy proteins or sugars are especially attractive to ants. Such foods can draw ants in large numbers.
As is well understood, the ants foraging in the residence are worker ants charged with bringing food back to their colony mates. As is also well, known, such worker ants leave behind a trail for their nest mates to follow by depositing a pheromone as they walk. Unless purposely removed, the pheromone trail stays in place for a long, long time.
Various chemical insecticides have been found to effectively kill ants for a short period of time. As homeowners know, the initial kill doesn't last long enough. After a while, the ants return in at least in the same numbers as before. While the ant problem hasn't gone away, the environment may have been detrimentally affected. Various pesticides can last 50 years or more and create havoc in the environment.
Other non-toxic approaches have also been attempted and are just good common sense for any ant infestation. Such approaches include the following:                Storing all attractive food items such as any sugars, syrup, and honey in closed containers;        Rinsing out soft-drink containers before placing food items in the trash;        Cleaning up grease splatters and spills as soon as they happen;        Resisting the convenience of free-feeding pets—ants find kibbled animals foods especially irresistible; and        Scrubbing ant entry points with soap and water—this removes trail pheromones and make it more difficult for foragers to find previous trails.        
Ants will not eat bait, if foods, as described above are nearby and easily foragable. For the best results, sinks, pantries, and other areas of possible ant-infestation, should be free of food particles and other ant-attractive substances.
There is no question that ants are an annoyance when found inside a residence. They are unsightly and give the homeowner a feeling that he's been invaded by an alien species. It is quite a ghastly sight, first thing in the morning, to see 10,000 or more ants chopping down on leftover pizza from the previous night. It's enough to make one miss the first and most important meal of the day.
On the other hand, ants are beneficial outside the home and there is no reason to poison them to extinction, should such even be possible. Thus, there is a need for non-toxic methods of eliminating the ant pest from homes without poisoning the environment What is needed is an environmentally friendly, non toxic method of eliminating ants, whether they be found in a residence or plant garden or any other undesirable locations.